Beyoncé Talked To Solange For Interview

Solange Reveals The Inspiration Behind "Cranes In The Sky"

Beyoncé interviewed her sister, Solange Knowles, for the latest issue of the magazine. The phone conversation, recorded last month, touches on everything from her inspiration for A Seat at the Table to the siblings' experience growing up in Texas.

In the interview, Solange credits the duo's parents, as well as her sister, with inspiring her to be true to herself and claim her power. "Our mother always taught us to be in control of our voice and our bodies and our work, and she showed us that through her example," Solange tells Beyoncé.

Solange also revealed the inspiration behind the title of her track "Cranes in the Sky." (It's a song she actually penned eight years ago, before the rest of the record.) The singer explains that she and her sister both spent time recording songs in Miami, which they thought would be "a place of refuge and peace" — but in reality, the city's sky was littered with cranes, which weren't exactly a peaceful sight.

"I remember thinking of it as an analogy for my transition — this idea of building up, up, up that was going on in our country at the time, all of this excessive building, and not really dealing with what was in front of us," Solange says in the interview. "And, eight years later, it's really interesting that now, here we are again, not seeing what's happening in our country, not wanting to put into perspective all of these ugly things that are staring us in the face."

The interview isn't all serious, though. In a lightning round of questions toward the end, Solange revealed that she loves The Real Housewives of Atlanta. "I watch it religiously, and I am in stitches the whole time," she tells her sister.